Song to the Siren
by ThatOneTard
Summary: COMPLETE! - It is not a god who weaves us and the world our fate. It's us. This is a truth Naruto and Sasuke must come to terms with upon meeting a godlike being who grants them a chance to intervene at any point in history for just twenty-four hours. Enough time to perhaps stop certain events from ever happening...But are either men ready for the consequences?
1. PROLOGUE

**DISCLAIMER** : _I am only typing this once for this story: I do not own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Shueisha. Support the official release._

 **Auther's Note:** This is a more serious story. If you want happiness, _move on_. If you don't mind bittersweet, welcome to my account. Especially this story. It is **not** all doom and gloom but it plays with the past. And the past is filled with sad moments that shape us. _That_ is the theme for this short-spanned story that, like _It's the Fear_ , was supposed to be a one-shot. And like the aforementioned, it'll probably be five parts or so. When this reaches that final part, remember _I warned you right from the beginning_.

* * *

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

 **PROLOGUE:**

A meteor—no. A glow, coiled, cascading through the sky as if some omen. Whether of ill tidings or fortune, it was too soon to say. The Uchiha watched as it streaked across the sky in an unnatural white hue, even against the bright blue dome. Beside him, the Hokage and his secretary watched, equally absorbed by the phenomenon.

"Do you suppose?" the Hokage began.

"Maybe."

Shikamaru turned toward Sasuke, practically out of habit as his features turned more serious than usual. He hadn't liked the looks of it or the possible grief it could entail, both politically and monetarily. "Investigate it," he said.

Sasuke immediately and wordlessly turned to leave when the secretary tapped on his shoulder. "It looked like it might have landed a good distance to the south. Pack for a week at least."

Sasuke nodded expressionlessly. "Right."

He had promised that he and Sakura would have the night together. Sakura had exuberantly planned for their date for weeks now. He'd have to send her a message about the change of plans on the way.

He found that when strange white bogeys fell from the sky, it meant there was work to be done. The dangerous kind that snatched you away.


	2. long afloat

**Author's Note:** _This part has been written for **months** honestly. It just wasn't going anywhere fast enough, so I've decided to post it now and do the next scene in another update altogether._

 _From here on, there will be no more author's notes. I'm treating this like a single chapter with no dividers even though it is broken up by updates and time. This story is a tribute more than anything so please take this journey slowly, take it in, and enjoy. I aim for tears at its end._

* * *

 **Song to the Siren**

 **-HotPinkWriter-**

Naruto was sitting in his office. Something he did just about every day. And, seemingly, today was a day like any other day of the week. But it wasn't.

The Hokage sighed as he watched the world outside his window. The birds, the trees waving. The clouds drifting silently by. It was a familiar sight. His perfect life. But something important was missing. Excruciatingly.

Naruto's eyelids closed.

This day made it exactly twenty years ago... And even two decades later Naruto could still remember hearing the news like it was yesterday. Could still see it play out in his mind like he was reliving it:

The cool colors of the village outside as gray clouds draped themselves over the sun. The look on his friends' faces as they stood around him, already having known what had passed. The slam of the door of the very room he was sitting in now as a sixteen-year-old him stormed out, overcome by the news. The connotations.

Truth be told Naruto chalked his lack of desire to sit down and eat a frozen treat as him maturing. But he knew better. So did his fatherly sensei, Iruka.

"Hey, Naruto. Thought I'd stop by and treat you to some ramen. For old time's sake."

Naruto smiled, turning his chair around to face his past teacher as the man approached the desk.

"It's been ages!" Naruto proclaimed.

"It has," Iruka laughed in return. He nearly walked into the desk and, bumping into it slightly, wasn't able to help himself from staring at the stack of instant ramen containers thrown all over its top. Around that mess was another mess. Papers and scrolls all haphazardly sorted into stacks. His eyes lingered briefly and long enough for Naruto to notice the lines around them.

The man was beginning to show signs of age drastically. But he was in every way still one of the most important people to Naruto, even now as an adult. So even though the Hokage wasn't particularly hungry, and honestly didn't feel up to being about, he certainly wasn't going to turn down Iruka's offer.

Naruto stood. "Ramen sounds so good right now."

Iruka seemed relieved. "To you it always is."

At Ichiraku, Naruto folded his Hokage cloak and set it on his lap before leaning his elbows on the counter. On it, the steam from his ramen dish rose, warming his face.

"Hey Iruka?" he said after a moment of stirring his broth, its warm scent wafting into his nostrils. A sense of feeling at home filled him.

"Huh?" Iruka mumbled, splitting his chopsticks apart.

"I know why you're doing this today. Thank you."

Iruka glanced down, almost embarrassedly. "Yeah, I wasn't sure but...I'm glad I did." He turned to Naruto, smiling grimly. "I heard Hinata might be expecting."

Naruto's lips curled in a grin but his eyes remained fixed on the counter. "She is. It's another boy. We want to name him after..." He paused and took a deep breath. "We want to name him after Jiraiya."

Iruka nodded. "A good choice, Naruto. He'd be honored. And I'm really glad I got to visit you."

"Again, thank you." It came out more as a whisper. Naruto cleared his throat. "I really love...ramen."

Iruka nodded understandingly. After a few mouthfuls of noodles, he spoke again. "They say time heals all wounds but the scar remains. But believe it or not, even they too begins to fade." He exhaled slowly. "I still think about my parents myself and I've been around far too long for that. Don't get me wrong, I've had a good life as a teacher. I love it. But still, I think about them. So I know what this day means to you."

Naruto smiled. "Nah, you're not a geezer yet. Though _I_ sure feel like one."

"Oh, _please_ ," Iruka scoffed. "Wait until you hit your forties."

Naruto emptied his bowl and pushed it to the side, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

"If Kakashi's any indication, maybe we all have graves we have to visit once in awhile. I've kinda neglected to do that, being so busy and all."

"I'm sure he'd understand and—"

Smiling, Naruto interrupted him, rather unintentionally. "Geez, he wasn't exactly a father figure. He was a pervert. Like really a pervert. I'd always find him in some sleazy part of town, drunk and still...Well panting like a dog. But still, I can remember my training with him. Living in inns. How he took me under his wings during those pivotal years. I needed that. I mean...You know?"

Iruka grinned. Jiraiya may have been infamous as a womanizer but there was no denying how far he'd go out of his way to take care of others that had no one else to. He had spent time with Naruto in a way that all fathers should. In a way, Iruka had never been completely able to.

Naruto started his second bowl, spirit lifted as he continued his bout down memory lane.

"He was like my grandpa. A dirty but awesome grandpa. I wouldn't have survived Pain and the war without his teachings instilled into me...Except some of those nights in town. I could have lived without that. Talk about being too old to do some of that stuff."

They laughed briefly, Naruto's face reddening a bit. His grin sobered as he then set his chopsticks down.

"Sometimes I think closure is part of it. You know...I got to meet my parents, but it was long after I had grown up without them. I still, you know, love them but we said our last words. It was like it was a chapter, and it closed. But Jiraiya..." His brow furrowed. "He was there for me growing up...But then, the Rain happened, it was just so sudden. I had no clue...Poof. Gone...Makes it hard to believe it even happened. I feel like he could still come back from some long trip at any time."

Iruka placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I'm sure he's at peace. What you and your class have done has been phenomenal. He'd be proud."

"I know, I keep telling myself that...And it's been years but I still can't...I dunno." He began poking at his noodles but didn't pick any up. "I just wish he could still be here. See the world now. The accomplishments. I mean I'm not that bratty kid anymore. You know when Hinata had our first kid I couldn't stop crying?"

"I know," Iruka chuckled softly. "I was there."

Naruto had been a happy mess of excitement when Hinata had given birth to Boruto. He'd even cried when his second was born, proclaiming he was just so happy. To have his own family and for that family to grow. Children were precious things, ones that Iruka didn't need to marry to enjoy as a teacher. Even now, seeing Naruto grown up from the place he had come from was fulfilling more than he could have ever hoped for.

"You certainly was," Iruka said, wanting to laugh at the memory. But Naruto's expression sobered him. Iruka could never replace the other people who Naruto loved. Only support him along the journey.

"Iruka-sensei, I wanted him to be there too. Well, not in the hospital room. Or anywhere near Hinata for that matter. But with my kids. Even now, I just wish I could show him our family photo. Tell him it's getting bigger. Tell him Sasuke's back. Tell him the world's at peace now...The one he died in, it was just so hopeless. Even the way he died. It wasn't fair for him."

Iruka glanced down at his soup, stirring it slowly. "Even if he hadn't gone to the Rain, I think another mission would have eventually taken him. He was just that kind of guy, Naruto. A good shinobi."

Naruto frowned but gave a reluctant nod. "Maybe."

 _Maybe not._

Iruka and he ate the rest of their meals in appreciative silence.

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

Back in the Hokage's Tower, Sasuke waited for him, leaning against the wall with one foot resting against it.

"Where were you?" he asked promptly upon Naruto's entrance.

"Lunch," Naruto answered, puzzled as he set a satchel down. "What's going on?"

He shouldn't be here. Although the strange bogey phenomenon—whatever it was—had landed in the Land of Fire, the actual study of it had been estimated to take a while, even with his Sharingan and Rinnegan. Sasuke hadn't been expected to be back until the end of the week at least. There was no way he was back just the next day, not without conducting a thorough investigation.

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Naruto blinked in surprise. It was rare to ever find the Uchiha at a loss of words. But here he was now, struggling to find the words.

"You have to come," he merely said, recovering.

An eyebrow rose. Naruto chuckled nervously. "Why? What is it?"

Sasuke wasn't one to joke around so whatever it was, he really thought Naruto had to see it in person. But he knew Naruto couldn't just leave the village on a whim. Not without a good reason.

"Just come with me. It requires you just as much as it does me."

Sasuke looked at him seriously, complexion slightly pale.

Naruto could only comply, although he was still a bit baffled. "Um, all right..."


	3. the oracle

Sasuke led him to a nearby mountain. With their chakra and speed, the climb hadn't taken too long. But long enough for Naruto to ask a lot of questions, all of which the Uchiha wouldn't answer. This only intrigued him more. How was it that Sasuke was as lost as he was right now? Just what had the Uchiha speechless?

Sasuke stopped him near the peak and pointed Naruto to the right. He soon caught sight of what they were looking for. A huge rock, tablet-like, was hovering above the ground. A vertical and smooth slab caught in a slow spin as if on some display.

"The exact landing spot was hard to estimate but I managed to figure this much at least, it led me here."

Naruto approached the giant rock, staring at it in wonder. Strange characters coated it, but they were so worn, it was impossible to decipher. But what was stranger yet was the aura emitting from it. Focusing even harder, Naruto could make out some invisible shape, lingering inside.

"Kami," he breathed. He began absorbing natural chakra, letting it fill him. Activating his sage mode, he examined the oddity again. The shape did not become clearer with his improved senses but its essence did, feeling to him as if some network of chakra.

"S-Sasuke?"

"I know. Some jutsu, waiting for the right trigger."

 _Kurama? Do you know what this is?_

No answer.

 _Kurama?_

Sasuke pointed to the bottom of the stone, where a pattern seemed to be etched onto the surface, deeper and clearer than the rest of the characters on the rock. Too faded to tell what it was, but clear enough to tell there were two circular-shaped symbols.

"I believe this is a seal. I tried to undo it myself but couldn't. Just got this far. I think it takes two chakras." He wiped at the symbols, dirtying his fingers with dust. "And that they're the sun and the moon."

So that was why he had needed him.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Whatever that light was, it entered this stone."

"But it looks ages old," Naruto said skeptically. "How could it have...put a seal on this when the seals themselves look ancient?"

"Exactly. So I asked the residents at the foot of the mountain what it was. This rock itself has been a landmark for them for ages. A source of folklore and whatnot because of its shape. But the sun and moon markers weren't there before. After seeing the glow enter it, some believe the markers are an unlocked sign from the Sage of Six Paths...But I believe it is older than even him. The writing itself dates it so. That's why I can't read all of it."

Naruto whistled. "Older than him? Should we, like, be touching it then? I mean...You _do_ remember the last few Ōtsutsuki beings we've dealt with, right?"

Sasuke smirked. "Of course. But..." He raised his hand, eyeing the stone intently. Chakra swirled and a character began to glow against the cool surface of the oddity. A character even Naruto recognized.

 _ **Gift.**_

"I had an elder of the village approach me. He had an extremely pale complexion. Possible roots to the Sage's bloodline. And he interpreted some of this for me."

Sasuke pulled out a note from his pocket, one he had scribbled on prior. "'Those prophecy spake,'" he read, "'blessed will be to Time by the First. But by time done, hence time undone.'"

Naruto chuckled nervously. "Care to _not_ speak gibberish, buddy?"

"It's speaking about the Child of Prophecy. That's who prophecy spoke of. They will be blessed. I'm not sure what it means about by time, though."

"Wow," Naruto said, examining the rock again. "This sounds nuts. Like its own prophecy. But I thought there was only one. And it already came to pass."

"There is. This stone merely marks a promise instead." He glanced down thoughtfully. "That those who made it come to pass will be blessed with time. But what it means by that... Time undoes it..."

Sasuke placed his hand on the rock again, this time on what appeared to be the sign of the moon. The rock stilled as chakra buzzed at his fingertips.

"Woah," Naruto started. "What're you doing?"

"Whatever this is, it's a gift. The Child of Prophecy is supposed to receive it."

"I don't see you the kind of guy who'd get wrapped up in superstitious stuff. I mean, this has 'Ōtsutsuki' written all over it. And you know how those aliens turn out!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "That is true, but look at the Sage of Six Paths. I don't believe this will do us harm. Rather the opposite. The gift is time. Time was written with an emphasis. However it is given, it's a boon."

Naruto looked at him skeptically. "Like eternal life or something? Seriously, what's it saying?"

"Only one way to find out. And if it poses a threat, we'll take care of it. And if it's a gift, better to receive it than let its light fade and miss it. Can't you feel the chakra? It's dimming."

Naruto had noticed that. Whatever the light had sealed in here, it would not be with them for long at this rate.

Some part of Naruto was as curious as he was apprehensive. It was as if a door was in front of them and they were the only ones who could open it. But what was on the other side? Another Kaguya? Or something the opposite. Something deep. Something that could grant them even greater power, enough to take and evolve them further than where they were now as ninja. So they could stop further threats, ones even Kaguya herself had feared.

Finally, he gave into his curiosity and placed his hands on his own marked spot as well. The sun.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

Together they summoned their chakra to it and almost instantaneously, the markings started glowing, brighter and brighter. So bright, Naruto had to shield his eyes. When he opened them again, the rock was gone, and in its place, a glowing figure. Naruto jumped backward, stuttering.

"Holy—"

The shape resembled a Ōtsutsuki but seemed much more ancient. Much grander. Godlike, even. A humanoid form, it floated, sitting in lotus position. From its head protruded what could be described in earthly terms, antlers like that of a deer. Its shoulders somehow bore multiple limbs. Behind them, a silky sash floated, forming a circle around it.

Light peeked through its eyelids as the being opened them. In fact, the socket was nothing but light. But something was off. It was as if it was not completely there, and its image flickered.

"Schnikies," Naruto whispered, scooting back. His brain was screaming caution but for some reason his being felt calm.

" _Humans,"_ it opened its mouth and spoke. It's voice multiple voices, bound together only by each word spoken in unison. Distinction deemed the sound both of male and female. " _From dawn of time I came."_

 _I guess that explains why this thing came now...the Dawn of Time is, what, forever ago?_

" _Yes."_

Naruto jumped. "You read minds?!"

Kaguya had shown no signs of being able to do something as powerful as that. Naruto again felt like he should be afraid.

The being did not answer him. " _I am the essence of Ōtsutsuki Saisho, the beginning of our kind. From the dawn of time, I have seen all. Foresaw your world's events. I saw Kaguya's transgression. Only after she had made your planet a home. It was too late but I saw more. Your births."_

"So you were an oracle," Sasuke said, "when you were alive."

If it was the "essence" of this Saisho, that would explain his presence not quite feeling complete, his flickering image and diminishing chakra.

" _If that is what you wish to call me, then yes. I am a form, left behind with one goal, left for much time has passed since the dawn. From my perch have I witnessed the threads woven by humankind and those of the outer world, threads my departed did not live to see but left in my stead this form. Knowing of Kaguya's transgression, I awaited the day when I could give the peacemakers my gift for only they be worthy of it."_

A gift? He was just going to give them one? Naruto raised an eyebrow. He sensed no evil intent from the being but he also sensed no emotions from Saisho's spirit either. Not like the Sage of Six Paths. This guy...He was just...so devoid yet more.

" _A gift of time, woven by a day, from sunrise to its fall, it will cost my essence, so choose you well what your time will be."_

Naruto nearly stamped his foot. "Gift, gift, gift, time. We keep hearing that but what do you really _mean_ by it? What are you saying?"

Sasuke looked at him sternly. "Calm down."

The being seemed unfazed by his outburst. " _The greatest gift a race can be given. Intervention. Time will bend to your whim."_

Knowing space could be manipulated, Naruto had always suspected time could too. It'd only take literally a god though if space alone took absolute mastery of chakra. Turns out his theories borne by daydreams were right.

This being could alter time? And it was granting them that power too?

It looked to Naruto. " _It is not quite so."_

He fought off a grimace, feeling its presence in his head.

Saisho's spirit looked forward, facing both of them once more. " _I can give this power of intervention but once. It is an ability mortals cannot handle the hold of, even those deemed worthy. From the dawn of time I saw this, thus this must be."_

"Wait..." Naruto said slowly. "Intervention? You're telling me you're really going to just let us pop up anywhere in time and do whatever? You're serious about this? _Us_?"

Sasuke seemed equally baffled. Excitement filled Naruto the more the concept sunk in, that this being could let them intervene in some grand spell that was normally impossible for humans. He almost felt like a kid again, conjuring up exciting theories that could never be.

"Just think about it! If we could go back in time we could do some real good! We could save people, or destroy future threats!"

Jiraiya. Obito. Nagato. And these were just the tip of the big iceberg that was shinobi world's regret and loss.

"But we only have this once," Sasuke said, instantly grounding Naruto's hope.

"But still! Just once could change _everything,_ Sasuke _!_ "

It was upon this statement that the chakra being spoke up again. " _You need be weary, mortal, everything is_ connected _. By time done, time will be undone."_

Naruto wasn't really sure what the essence meant by time's undoing but he did understand the need to take their intervention point seriously. Especially if it could only be once. Sunrise to sunset...That wasn't long. But long enough to work miracles.

"So we pick a spot then time-travel? Right, and then come back?"

Naruto couldn't even believe he was even using words like time-travel. But he knew no other way to word it to himself.

"But the present might be different," Sasuke said. "Depending on the intervention we have. We'd have to be careful to not step on butterflies."

"Huh?"

Sasuke rubbed his forehead. "I'm not even going to attempt to explain it to you."

" _Caution is indeed needed, mortal. Everything is connected and you may only act this once. There will be no going back to this original present should your choice ripple across the plane. It is their nature to do so."_

"We need to think about this, Naruto," Sasuke whispered. "This is something that we can't waste."

He had become even paler than usual, his voice tight. Something in his eyes seemed...distraught.

It was now Naruto realized that what Sasuke wanted to change most did not line up with his first choice.

And he felt horrible for it. But at the same time...

 _If I could go back, to just one day, that one day would have to be_ —

The being placed his palms to their foreheads, the contact burned but Naruto felt himself unable to draw away from its powerful hold. " _I will show you the result of your desires should you pick them. What you will feel now, is only a mirror of that which you choose. Consider carefully, mortals, the consequences when making your final decision for the choice given unto me itself will be final, unlike the vision I give you now."_

Naruto felt a harsh explosion of sensations ripping at him. Sound and touch, sensations zipping through him to the marrow of his bones. He screamed, the world's own roar bled his cry out.

Then silence.

He opened his eyes, blinking.

He was standing in a city, it was raining, and cool.

A noise caught his attention. A rumbling. The ground shook. A battle from afar off. His heart stopped beating, his breathing pitching.

This moment, he knew what this was.

This was when and where Jiraiya had been killed.

Pelted by rain, he stood there, speechless. He was here. _Really_ here. Amidst the towers of the Rain.

He thought of his children, his wife, of Sasuke, and then he thought of Jiraiya, catching up with them. Laughing together in the same room. _With him._

He started running.

He wasn't going to lose Jiraiya again. It was this desperate thought, and the hope that he could finally share his life with him, that drove him forward, faster than he'd ever run before.

Tears filled his eyes. Back then, he had been unable to beat the Akatsuki. But not anymore. He wasn't that stupid kid, he was the hero who helped save the world. He was the Hokage. And now he was going to save Jiraiya from his cruel fate and _keep_ him in his future. Yes, he had the power to save him and he would, without fail.

 _I'm coming, Sensei!_

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

Many years ago, Sasuke watched as his brother slipped into his Anbu armor.

Itachi was unaware of his presence behind him, as Sasuke lingered at the doorway, watching him.

It would not be the last time Itachi would slide the armor into place, but it was near that point in time. He could feel the familiar tenseness in the air, surrounding the estate. It was as if the conspirators his father held meetings with literally conjured a dark cloud about them, summoning it like a demon. And yet through its midst, Sasuke had grown up with a single light that filtered it away whenever that light was in the room.

It felt like no time had passed. Every feeling, the creak of the floorboards, the familiar aura, the smell of laundry, it came back to Sasuke.

"Brother," he whispered, unable to move from the doorway. Sasuke realized he was shaking and stilled himself. His brother. In the flesh. Oh, how he _ached_ to talk to him. To fill the gap between themselves they had created. To redo it all.

Itachi stopped short, turning around, a threatening look crossing his face at Sasuke's sudden appearance.

 _Of course,_ Sasuke thought, the Sasuke he knew now was just a small child. To see him as an adult, he must see him as a stranger.

Itachi's following actions confirmed this. In a matter of a second, Sasuke was standing in a genjutsu, a sword millimeters from his neck. Blackness was wrapped around him so all he could move were his eyes.

"Who are you?" Itachi spoke, standing before him, holding the blade to Sasuke's neck, pushing it slightly. His eyes were narrowed threateningly, eyelids thin slits. His irises a deep red. "Choose your words carefully, intruder."


	4. the siren's call

Sasuke blinked, his being utterly calm.

His calmness surprised Itachi. His brother stared at him, reading him carefully.

"I mean you no harm, Itachi. This will not make sense, but you have to trust me. I've come from the future."

Itachi continued to stare at him threateningly, yet actually waiting for him to explain himself further and _allowing_ him to. Had he been any other Uchiha, Sasuke would have been killed straight away. But Itachi wasn't like the other Uchiha.

Sasuke looked to his brother, somewhat pleadingly, even as the pressure of the sword pressed against his neck increased slightly and a single red tear ran down his skin. "I know what you're about to do. Who you are about to talk to. What they fear. What _you_ fear. How you feel backed into a corner with no way out. But I know where this road leads...And it is too great to bear, Itachi."

Itachi's eyebrows rose as recognition dawned on him. "Sasuke?"

He nodded, and would have smiled had not the matter been too great in its consequences. Too dire. It had to change. Now. "Itachi. You need to listen to me. You're about to meet with Danzo and—"

The Genjustu faded and Itachi shook his head, lowering his weapon.

"So you know everything."

"And more, yes. Itachi and the outcome is too great—"

"Tell me...Little brother, is the village safe?"

His teeth gritted, his eyes closing briefly. He already knew exactly what Itachi was trying to do.

"...Yes."

"Has war torn the world apart?"

"...No."

"Then my mission was a success. Thank you for confirming it." He started to turn away. Sasuke started, rushing to stop him.

"No! I can't allow you to kill our—"

Itachi was fast, spinning around, a flash of metal whirling, and Sasuke's lone arm was yanked in the opposite direction, and he was crashing backward, into a beam. Grimacing as it felt like his arm was ripping from its socket.

"Ngh!"

"I understand your strife, Sasuke, but you can't possibly understand the full story. You are but a child. Even now, you are reacting to what you know and that is the memories of a still innocent child. A child who couldn't see the true darkness and the necessity of my mission."

Itachi spoke calmly, even as he quickly tied off the wire binding Sasuke's hand to the beam, making his intentions and resolution vividly clear.

"Itachi! You can't do this! It's—"

Itachi shook his head and smiled. "Tell me about your family."

Sasuke blinked for a moment, caught in surprise.

"I could sense it off of you. The you before me is obviously a man, a decade or even two older than me, and there's that something that resonates in you. I could sense it right away. A _change_."

Sasuke looked down, his fingers curling. "They're more than I deserve."

Itachi smiled softly.

"They? You're a father. Tell me about your child."

"Her name is Sarada."

Itachi nodded and turned his head so he was looking out into the distance, through the grey-tinted shoji screen door panels. You could make out the trees outside through them, waving in the wind, gently like a hand waving goodbye. "She must have your eyes. No doubt a beautiful girl. Intelligent, strong. A fine child. I approve."

Sasuke looked at him in shock.

Sensing it, Itachi turned back smiling. "I know her because I know you. You're unsure of yourself as a father. But if you just be yourself, she will grow, free from the curse of our clan."

"Itachi..."

"Sasuke, you know what must be done."

He jerked, his arm straining against the wire, his mouth agape. "Itachi, you can't still—"

"I hope the best for my niece. May her future be unbridled by the curse of the Uchiha. And it will be. She will be our revival. One I will walk this path for."

"Itachi, please don't!" The wire only tightened against his struggle. "You don't understand! I came back, I had to, to stop you from doing this. You can't agree to his terms. No good comes out of it, Itachi!"

"Sasuke," he spoke, almost chidingly. "You know I must do it. You yourself, this version, has seen the outcome and have even reaped its rewards, albeit in pain. It will hurt, must have hurt a lot, that is why you have come here, but, time is a road that must be crossed on our own. It is not something to tamper with. I can sense you have gotten strong, Sasuke, you have faced great trials, but you are _not_ _a_ _god_. No good will come from tampering with time."

Sheathing his blade, Itachi turned his back on him. "It was good to see you in this form. I know that on this path, I no doubt will not live long enough to meet you as you are now. So you have given me a blessing. And I'm proud to be an uncle. Farewell, brother, do well to take care of your family."

Sasuke cursed, trying to pull his hand free from the wire. "Itachi!"

Seconds from leaving, he had already slid the door open.

"No! I won't let you do this again!"

Sasuke focused his Amaterasu to the wire and whipped his hand free the moment the flames burned through the thin but powerful metal.

This younger Itachi had not expected the one-handed Sasuke to be able to escape from it. Had not expected him to catch up and seize him, his eyes bleeding as they spun into a desperate Mangekyo.

"Forgive me, Brother, but I can't allow you to walk this path again!"

Itachi collapsed limply to the ground, eyelids closing as he fell into a deep, deep, genjutsu, the likes he had not faced yet. He would be free from the darkness in a few hours. So Sasuke didn't have long to figure out what to do next.

The tenseness in the air made it clear, something had to be done because chaos was on the verge of breaking out. Speaking to the others to try to clear it before it was too late wasn't an option. Itachi had been willing to believe him but he knew the others wouldn't. They would kill him, seeing him as a threat to their plans or as a spy.

So, what to do...Itachi's path just wasn't an option. It may have been his choice, of his own free will, but in the end, Sasuke's will was more important.

He knew exactly who to take care of now. Who was at the root of the Uchiha's hell.

Yes, Sasuke would take his place and meet Dano himself.

Then he would kill him.

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

Plucking Jiraiya from the battlefield had only taken him a few seconds. Naruto had made a clone and sent it to distract Pain, and it certainly would, especially at the level he was now. And while it distracted him, he focused on running as fast and far as he could, leading Jiraiya behind him by the hand.

The man attempted to drag his feet, to stop and ask questions as any logical person would so Naruto tried to answer quickly, pushing him still.

"You're in danger," he called, not even turning his head yet. "We have to get out of here—You're in danger. I will take care of him later, trust me! I'm a comrade!"

One they had come to a stop, on the outskirts of the city, Jiraiya yanked his hand from Naruto's and brandished a kunai, demanding answers. "What's the idea?!"

Taking a deep breath, Naruto turned around so they were facing each other. "Jiraiya, I know this is going to sound completely crazy but..."

Jiraiya stared at him incredulously. Shocked at first, then a puzzled expression crossed his features. "You," he murmured, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Yes..." It was taking everything Naruto had to contain himself. But he was afraid of scaring Jiraiya if he just outright glomped him like every fiber of his body was screaming at him to do. It had been so long since he had seen him in the flesh! And here he was now. Just as he had always remembered him!

Jiraiya's eyes widened as he studied the now-adult Naruto's face. "You...Are you a Namikaze?"

Naruto wanted to laugh. "No, Jiraiya-Sensei. Look at me. My face, my chakra. You _know_ who I am. And I know this is completely crazy but..." He laughed. "It's _me_."

"Naruto?"

Naruto nodded happily. "Yes! I, uh, came back from the future. It's crazy, like really insane and possible, but none of that matters, what matters is that I'm here and you're here and there's so much I want to tell you!"

Jiraiya still stared at him like he _was_ crazy but Naruto could tell that Jiraiya, _something_ in him, did believe him. Still. Rolling his eyes, he pulled his shirt up, exposing the seal on his stomach. "Who else do you know has this or the chakra to back it? And how else would I know that Tsunade sent you to investigate the Rain or that you suspect he's really one of the three orphans you once took care of? How would I know about the scar on your chest? And that I myself am the one that gave it to you? Seriously, Sensei, I know it's hard to believe, I look a lot different from when I was just a teenager, but look at me. Really _look_."

"Naruto! Wow, you're so big!"

Finally!

"Yes! _Thank you_!"

Now they could talk, and holy crap, was he giddy, he could hardly contain himself and he blubbered on, not even taking the time to breathe. "There'ssomuchIwanttotellyou!I'mHokageandhavethebestwifeeverandkids,Iwantyoutomeetthemsobad!"

"Woah, kid! Slow down!"

Gasping for breath, Naruto laughed. He felt like he was fifteen again. And it was exuberating! "So much is going to happen in the future, so much! I mean I got to meet my dad, and I understand now why he did what he did, and I'm grateful. Me and Kurama—that's the Kyuubi's name, we've partnered up and it's amazing, and thrilling and powerful and I can't even explain it but together we helped with the war, stopping the guy in the mask and Kaguya—"

Jiraiya stared at him and Naruto laughed again. "It's a looooooong story, trust me, but what's important is that _I did it_. With the help of everyone else, we stopped the Fourth War and now the Kage are united. _Peace happened_. You were right, sensei. _We did it_!"

His teacher's grin spread and his eyes began to water.

Naruto nearly began crying himself. "The world...We did it. It was thrusting itself towards destruction, and we came together and we still have a bump or two along the way, but we fight together now. The Kage, even me and Sasuke, and Orochimaru, even he's on the straight and narrow. The Sannin can be together again. Isn't that good?"

"Sounds too good to be true. And did I catch that you did become Hokage?"

He nodded. "Yes, after Kakashi."

"Kakashi?"

"Well, his was a short term, more out of obligation to Obito—heck, we don't got time to talk about the past! I wanna tell you about my family. You've not met them yet but I just know you're going to love them!"

"So you have a family now! Congratulations!"

It was amazing how Jiraiya was taking this so easily, but then again, stranger things had happened and there was no denying Naruto's presence and how even as an adult, Jiraiya knew it.

"Yes, and I love them so much. Two kids, and Hinata—"

"Hah! I knew it! Atta boy, you caught yourself a good one, just took you long enough!"

Naruto frowned. "You knew too?"

"Oh yeah, I did. Was wondering when you'd catch on..."

Naruto sighed. "Why am I the only one in the entire village who had to have it spelled out? Seriously."

Jiraiya threw back his head laughing. "Because you'll always be my brat. Even as an adult...It's good to see you kid, so big. I don't know how this is possible but..."

"Again, long story, crazy jutsu—"

Jiraiya suddenly grabbed hold of Naruto's shoulders, and with tears starting to run down his face, embraced him, crying, "I'm so proud of you!"

Naruto stood still for a second, his eyes wide, then overcome by the sheer happiness, at being able to talk to him after _so long_ , after his terrible death, he hugged him back, starting to cry himself.

"Sensei...So much happened, and I just had to talk to you today, tell you ahead of time. So much...It was hell sometimes, but it's over now."

Sniffing, the old man spoke. "I can feel the difference in your chakra. The Kyuubi's. Your father would be so proud of you. You did it, I knew you could. So proud! And Kushina too, that's your mother."

Naruto nodded, wanting to laugh. _I know that now, and I had missed you so much! I'm so glad you're not dead anymore!_

He could not for the life of him voice this out loud, not wanting to put a damper on this moment by bringing up how he had died. So terrible! So lonely and cruel, buried by the ocean and not even laid to proper rest. Died alone...But no longer was that even relevant, and thank kami it _never_ would be again.

All he could whisper was "Thank you sensei, for taking care of me. I would not be here today if it weren't for you and I can't wait for you to catch up to the future I come from now."

Letting go, Jiraiya nodded. "I can't wait either. Don't worry, I won't tell the current you anything, only watch from the side, knowing what I know now."

Naruto nodded.

He couldn't be happier. He felt reborn with relief. Finally. Things were _right_.

He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. Yes. Everything was going to be perfect and already he could see the future. Pictures on his mantel, pictures with Jiraiya on his couch, his baby on his lap, smiling up at him. His little girl, being thrown up in the air, frozen in place with a big smile. Hinata, standing to the side, a little worried, but happy as she watched over him.

"Will you be their godparent, too? Or god _grand_ parent really?"

"Kami, you're making me feel old! But yes, you don't even have to ask, Naruto! Oh man, you're a dad! I just can't get over this you now!"

Naruto laughed, rubbing his eyes. Oh, happiness. Pure, unfathomable happiness.

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

Blood gushed. Unlike the him in the future, Danzo did not have the Sharingan in his arm to aid him. He did, though, have Shisui's, but that hardly mattered with the strength Sasuke had now and the desperate drive he had to take care of him. And he did, and Danzo's life drained from him quickly in the dead of night, hidden by cold stone walls.

Sasuke watched impassively as the man spasmed before death took him. "It's over."

It had been a long time since Sasuke had taken a life. But he did not regret doing so now.

With Danzo gone, the Uchiha would live. His mother would live. His father, and countless others. And surely, an agreement between the two sides, village, and clan, could be come to with a little bit of compromise from both sides. Just as it should have, right from the beginning.

He sighed with relief, the future griefs, all the burdens melting away like snow, clumped up and dissolving, running down in torrents.

 _Yes._

Footsteps, silent footfalls, fast approaching. They were coming fast. He turned to see Itachi staring at him. It figured that Itachi would come quickly behind him. Just not fast enough. But what did not make sense was the look of horror on his face as he came to a stop and saw the body.

It was a look that would forever be engraved in Sasuke, the sheer degree of _fear_ in it.

"Itachi, what's wrong? I had to kill him," Sasuke began but the look in Itachi's eyes stopped him short.

"What. Have. You. Done."

"Excuse me?"

Now he said it louder, coming on to Sasuke so fast he thought he would strike him, and he practically did with his tone.

"What have you done?!"

It was mind-blowing to hear his usually impassive brother speak with such a tone.

"I've saved you and our family from a lot of pain. You have to believe me Itachi, it's better this way."

He had not expected gratitude from Itachi for destroying their plans, but he did expect a degree of understanding. But instead, he got an angry, somehow heartbroken declaration: "You've _damned_ us all!"

Sasuke staggered back at the sheer disapproval and anger that was radiating off of him in leaps in bounds.

"Itachi, you don't understand! I've seen the future and—"

"What about _this_ one, Sasuke, have you seen the consequences of Danzo's death?"

Sasuke stopped short, something in him freezing up, his skin pricked.

Itachi shook his head, whispering again, "The outcome of this... _What have you done?_ "


	5. the truth about the siren's call

Like the sudden strike of midnight, time passed, shifting forward like grains of sand through the hourglass. Naruto watched as it did so, standing still in its midsts all the while. Events of the world flew past him so swiftly that he could barely catch when exactly he was as time flew back to the present. The new present and all its goodness.

Oh, he was excited!

He had just caught sight of the image of Pain in Konoha when his sight suddenly flashed red before bleeding into black and he became surrounded by pitch darkness.

Minutes of this quiet darkness passed.

Nothing happened and he began to sense that something was wrong, his body suddenly numb. _What was that flash? Why's everything black now?_

A chill ran through him. "Hello!" he called out. No answer.

"Oracle, what's—"

His words stopped short in his throat as his eyes adjusted to a change of light. Night, he supposed. It was hard to tell with the thick layer of smog, or smoke, he couldn't be too sure. This was the present though, he knew that at least, so wherever he was, maybe the mountain, it didn't matter. What did was that things were fixed.

Ahead of him, he could make out the image of a figure, drawing closer he recognized it as Jiraiya's back by the stark red against the green attire underneath it, and the ever spiky hair of his, glowingly white. He drew closer still, listening to the sound of his voice. He was talking...To himself?

"I'm such a failure."

Naruto was right behind him now, not even two feet away, his eyebrows arching upward.

"Every single time I fail. Then what good was I? Hmph, a failure. Some legacy I left behind..."

He had said legacy so mockingly, it hurt and downright appalled him. "Jiraiya-Sensei!" he said, trying to tap him on his shoulder.

The man froze rigidly before turning around slowly...

And revealing his black sclera.

Naruto doubled back, nearly tripping over his feet.

"Sensei," he cried. "What's going on?"

Why did he have the same eyes as the reanimated? Why was he here and not back home in Konoha?

" _Sensei_?" the man scoffed, pulling out a bottle. "Some sensei I turned out to be. Now I have _you_ _haunting_ me too."

Was he _drinking_? Or rather pretending to if he was really reanimated. And what was up with his attitude!

This was not the Jiraiya Naruto knew. This was a petty bum who had stolen his attire and been reanimated that way, Naruto was sure of it now. But for a poser, there was no denying the trademark features he had, the stature, even the wart on his nose.

So this was Jiraiya? But...

"What the heck is going on here?!" Naruto demanded, smacking the bottle out of Jiraiya's hand with a vicious slap. It clattered to the ground noisily before spreading its liquid around the cold rocky ground.

Jiraiya glared. "You're persistent just as you were back then."

"Back then? Like when I met you in the Rain? Well, I'm back now and I demand to know what the heck's happened to you!"

"Hmph, as if you don't know already."

"Yeah, I don't, so start talking!"

"See after that encounter with you, that hallucination—"

"It wasn't a hallucination! It was real— _I_ was real then! See? I'm here now, back!"

"No. You're a hallucination." Jiraiya laughed mockingly. "Because, the last I checked, dead kids don't have their own families. They don't grow to be adults. Dead kids can't become Hokage. You're just an illusion produced by a weary mind, Naruto. A very weary mind, a dream after I've just lost too many students. Failed them...I wish it wasn't so..You were supposed to be different. But even that proved wrong and you're dead just as the rest."

Naruto swallowed, feeling a wetness at his eyes. "Dead? What do you mean..."

"After the Rain, I had to update Tsunade with some intel, had to come up with something, and when I got back home you had already been captured...And Naruto, the world went straight to hell from that point. With you dead, I didn't think it could get worse. But it did."

Now the wetness was started to build up and fall.

"No," he whispered. "This—this isn't right!" He shook his head, refusing to believe it. "That's not what happened! When Pain attacked Konoha, I _defeated_ him! I had some help, but I did it, and we talked it out. Then he sacrificed himself to repair the damage he had caused."

Jiraiya looked at him scoldingly. "You died, boy, and no amount of denial, from either of us, is going to change the fact that you were not ready for Pain when he came. You were defeated as easily as Kakashi was. So young...I soon after followed but that Kabuto, he brought me back in his war for the Hachibi. Now I'm forced to watch until everyone that's left is sucked dry by that cursed tree."

He buckled to his knees. "No! This isn't right! IT'S NOT! Where's Hinata, my kids! Where are they!? They have to be waiting for me right now—I need to get back to them now!"

Jiraiya scoffed. "Ghost, they never existed, and neither do you anymore. Now quit haunting me and let me rot in peace."

Emotions were bubbling up in him like a storm. He was translucent, and empty, and fading, and lonely and scared, and he let out a tear-filled roar. And like a shattering mirror, the image of the world around him crumbled, its pieces falling, falling, as did the blood from a body, so many years ago, fresh from defeat.

"Why was I defeated?" he whispered in the darkness.

And he knew why. After Jiraiya had died, he had trained, trained hard, fast, desperately, so he could defeat Pain. If the toad had never come, at least not at that point, had not urged him to train in the sage arts...Naruto Uzumaki would have been defeated. His Kyuubi ripped from him after many pain-filled days. And he would have died, only at the age of sixteen.

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

He couldn't move. Couldn't see. Suddenly he was having flashbacks of his time in prison, it had been for nearly a year. Sasuke shifted and it dawned on him. That's exactly where the current him was now. He was bound and blindfolded. Jerking he cried out, "What's going on?"

He was given no direct answer but what sounded like a kick to the bars of a cell. Footsteps continued on, ignoring him. He breathed quietly, listening still.

He could hear voices.

"That one guy's execution is today," a voice said.

"Yes, Itachi." Ibiki's voice.

"Took them long enough to officially pin the death on him."

"No, after all these years of service he turned himself in, hoping that that would spare the other one. But makes no difference. They all dug their graves and it's sad, even those who were children back then have to bear the consequences..."

Execution? Sasuke shook his head, anger filling him. To die a death worse than a dog. For public display. Just what had happened between the time of Danzo's death and now?

"And _him_? He was only six at the time."

"I know. I had figured we could arrange for...more friendly methods, but then yesterday the Jinchuuriki weapon was captured by the Lightning. Another war will no doubt come and our citizens are already on edge. He won't last long, not when all this spawned from that cursed clan."

"Yeah, they're all just another Madara, waiting to happen...No, worse than Madara. I would gladly take that arrogant rebel over the mess that coup d'etat caused."

A set of boots stomped their way in his cell and a couple of what he assumed were guards stood beside him, latching onto his shoulders as if he were some dangerous threat. How could he be, when they had weakened him so? And now that he thought about it, he shifted, feeling a right hand...

 _We never fought that last time, then. And he's a tool now...Just what is this? A coup, they still it? So the village imprisoned me?_ He could only give educated guesses and all of them were equally dark as they were plausible. A desperate Hokage and council could do a lot under the disguise of martial law to make the people feel safe.

Ibiki's voice: "Seeing as how events have transpired as they have, and we're on the cusps of a fifth war and we can't waste our time and space on you any long, I'm going to ask you one last time. The people need resolution, and they won't have it any other way any longer. You must choose."

"What?"

"You have two options before you. Two paths. One, submit to Hyuuga authority and merge with their side branch. You will though, be surgically _fixed_ , so don't get any ideas. Furthermore, you will awaken your sharingan and surrender them for research."

"And the second?" he intoned, voice laced with acid. Activate his sharingan? If war had broken out, and the Uchiha been blamed, he would not have joined Team Seven, and had he not, the events that led to him to awakening his Sharingan wouldn't have transpired.

"Be executed just as all the Uchiha before you. The ones who caused this mess in the first place, the _scum_."

Sasuke jolted forward, attempting to kick Ibiki but suddenly intense heat seared through him, vividly from his forehead. Crying in pain, he fell to the concrete floor, groaning as it burned still.

"Don't forget the Hyuuga's seal is still on your forehead," Ibiki said, voice almost speaking out of pity. And pitiful he must have seemed, sprawled on the floor of the jail cell.

He laid there still, unable to get up.

None of this was right. How could it have even happened?

In the distance: "What will it be, Uchiha?"

He thought of Itachi's words. Of his mission. Better one clan than a village, because had it been the village, a war would have raged. Contempt and hatred would have grown, only further spurred by the outright murder of Danzo. Even if his death had been explained as natural, the blame would have still been shirked onto his enemies.

And Sarada would have never been born.

 _Oh, Sarada. What have I done?_

He thought of Sakura, under the sheets, clinging to him, not wanting him to walk out that door like they both knew he would. Thought of Boruto, his fist swinging, his smile, thought of them together, him and Sarada, of their world, the one they were in and would have created together, growing ever the stronger, happily, until they had surpassed even their parents, Uzumaki, Hyuuga, Uchiha, even Haruno. United.

He sucked in his breath, shaking his head. This fate, it was far, far worse. The world was in hell. Everyone was.

Now he understood Itachi's fear. Why he did what he did.

He strained one last time, wanting to rip himself out of this cell, to rip his Uchiha family graves, if they were even given any, apart, to somehow summon the souls and plant them back in their bodies. But even if he could, this would happen again. Again and again, because they had refused to let their hatred go. The paranoia, and contempt. Both sides. It was sick. Disgusting.

He swallowed dryly. Execution or subjection.

 _He was handed the crying newborn._

" _Careful with the head," Sakura exclaimed, wearing nothing but a sheet, her voice raspy after going through a natural labor._

 _He would have responded a curt "I am!" but all he could do was stare at the baby in his arms, the surprisingly light baby that weighed less than even the blade at his hip, her umbilical cord freshly cut and clipped. Her eyes, so big, looking up at him expectantly. Her sweet innocent eyes and all he could feel was the sudden desire to protect her. To protect her world._

 _And he smiled. "I'm a father."_

 _Itachi...I'm a father._

He closed his eyelids, a forlorn resolution filling him.

 _She was laid over her mother's bare chest. They'd fallen asleep and laying together they both looked so peaceful..._

He pictured them that way now, mother and child, still so new, in that one moment as he gave Ibiki his answer.

"Just kill me."

"Alright. Prep him."

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

When he opened his eyes, he found himself back on the mountain, the prophecies of their choices, given. A mirror the being had said before.

Hysteric, Naruto was arguing with it, obviously discontented with what he had witnessed. His future outcome.

"What good are your stupid powers if you can't even do your job right—he still died!" Naruto was screaming.

The being merely blinked with disinterested. " _They showed you exactly what your desire was. They gave him another day but eventually, all humans must face Death. With the shinobi kind, it is more frequent, is it not? Yet you still fight on."_

Naruto's hands covered his face as he fought back a sob. "You expect me to let my teacher be _sacrificed again!?_ I mean, does it really come down to me or him?! I can't do that!"

The being shook his head, eyes still widely opened. Blank. " _Petty human, do you not realize it was he who chose to go?"_

Sasuke nodded, stepping forward. "He's right. It's not even a matter of us versus them."

"What?!"

"It is not a god who destroys this world. It's _us_. Our choices."

A sense of desperation filled Naruto. "We just made the wrong ones! We'll pick again! Go save Obito, or kill Madara, talk to the Sage of Six Paths—anything but let them...let them _die_ again!"

"You know better," Sasuke said, tone chastising.

Naruto's knees wobbled and he sunk to them, punching at the dirt. "Why can't we bring them into this time of peace? That's all they needed and fought for! This era!"

"Because they _forged it_." A single tear slid down the Uchiha's cheek before he wiped it away.

"I know they did...But does it have to be? When we intervene we'll be together. Surely the results will be better and we'll achieve more and—"

"Twenty-four hours is not enough to change an entire history or regrets. Besides, your loss is nothing compared to those around the world. We're not gods, Naruto. It's not our call."

"Sasuke, we have to, alright. I mean, what about your family!? This could be chance we need to change their path, we'll just go back before everything and—"

"I have a family."

"Sasuke..."

He looked to the Oracle, something in him radiating with reluctant defiance. "We will not take the offer. We do not need your gift."

Naruto's face shot up as he looked to Sasuke.

"What are you saying Sasuke!? Do you not realize how insane this is? You really gonna just throw this away?!"

Sasuke merely stared at him for a moment and Naruto could only wince, looking down despondently. No matter what they chose, Kaguya would still come and even if they intervened then, more of the Ōtsutsuki clan would take her place threatening the world. And it was doubtful that they would have the same advantages they did then without the pain filled path.

Somehow all of this was spoken to Naruto through just Sasuke's expression. Finally, the Uchiha looked the other way, his fist clenched together tightly. "Stand up, Naruto."

And he did, his head still bowed from a great sense of loss.

The being spoke, its voice somehow sounding more monotone than it had before. " _Do you accept this choice? It shan't be given again."_

"I..." Naruto's hands were sweating, his heart racing. But. He closed his eyes, saying words he would forever hate.

"I do."

Like a tornado, wind swept around them. Naruto pulled up his arms, attempting to cover his face from it. Then it stopped and the being was gone. He stared at the spot it had been floating when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Come on," Sasuke said gently. "Let's go home."

"Yeah..."

It was a long and quiet walk down that mountain. The longest one in his life.

Naruto soon thereafter visited his sensei's grave. On it still lay a copy of the book Jiraiya had written about the gutsy ninja. But now it showed signs of weather, the cover had baked, the pages dried awkwardly...

Naruto picked the worn copy up, thumbing through the sacred pages before tracing over the name of the main character with his index finger. Time had corroded the ink but he knew well the word that was printed there, so many years ago:

 _Naruto._

It was this single name that had inspired his parents.

Inspired him.

Set his course.

Drawing his sensei's book close to him, he smiled, even as he wiped his eyes.

* * *

 **FIN**

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

This should not have taken almost half a bloody year to write! It should have taken a short time, especially considering the last few paragraphs were written before even the Prologue was! The moment I knew what this "one-shot" was, I knew how it would end.

Anyway, about this concept. As you can hopefully tell, it is _heavily_ influenced by the song of the same name and if you've not listened to it, I HIGHLY recommend you do, listen to both Tim Buckley and This Mortal Coil sing the song because it is a beautiful song. A very and truly beautiful work that like Jeff Buckley's retweak of Leonard Cohen's _Hallelujah_ , should be listened to by everyone.

As for the rest...

Part of the original brief musing was inspired by an extreme sense of deja vu one night at work and subsequent thoughts of loops. Also, it would be criminal of me to not bring up the fact that though I have not read the event (yet), I've watched the animated movie for it and it was a source of inspiration as well, _the Flashpoint_ from DC Comics in which Barry, the Flash, attempts to go back in time to save his mom which triggered enough butterfly effects and ripples, that the world he returned to was completely different. Thus in order to save it from destruction he had to go back and stop himself from saving his mom's life. It's on Netflix right now. (But it doesn't have the epic twist about who that reality's Joker is, and believe me, when I looked it up I was thrilled with what they did with that reality's "Batman".)

And finally, at the time of this story's conception, when the majority of it was planned and the ending was written back in December, I had been binge-watching _How I Met Your Mother_ again, and the further it gets along, the more it will make you cry over Ted. His journey to get to that mother and the sad truth at the end. It's also on Netflix right now. Oh, shut up. I work retail. The hours at both places were down back then. But seriously, try it out. It will make you laugh, and then it will make you cry. The trials, the deaths, their friendship. It's a journey worth sticking to. Trust me.

Anyway, **I know this ending sucked**. Fiction is supposed to _not_ be realistic, right? That's the whole point of it, right, giving us a happy ending? _Escapism_? Not always, and not here. Naruto didn't get to save Jiraiya and Sasuke had to face that night again, knowing everything. But as I stated before, this one-shot was about **acceptance**. _Growing up_. Sometimes things happen, you can't change it, and even if you could, would it really be for the better? Sometimes I think yes, but if you look back in time, through history, and really think about it, the answer is no. We may selfishly wish yes, God, yes but it makes us grow. We learn from the mistakes. We need them, even though it hurts.

 **Life is precious, treasure every moment you have and live as if today is your last day so you have no regrets. Love, for so much of our grief with others is just not worth it, and be safe.**

—HotPinkWriter

* * *

Gawd this was like so serious! I'm sorry XD I just couldn't get it out of my head and I know it's heavy-handed, forced, and probably filled to the brim with holes of logic but I just wanted to get this out. It's not like I didn't warn y'all in the beginning. Seriously, always read the author's notes.

Oh, and **there will be an alternative ending**. Ignore it if you found this just right. Read if you want a little more of this depressing mess. It will not save Jiraiya or Itachi, though, only shift Naruto's decision into a different direction as he does choose one day, just not one you'd expect, and one I don't believe would step on too many butterflies.


	6. Alternative Ending: No Further Regrets

_I know this kind of dumps on the main theme but at the same time, when this came to me, it wouldn't leave me AT ALL, and I let some ties to it bleed in. That may not be good enough though so if you like it, then it's cannon. If there would be too many problems that would rise up from its consequences then forget you read it, please._

* * *

 **ALTERNATIVE ENDING:**

 **A World of No Further Regrets**

* * *

"Twenty-four hours is not enough to change an entire history or regrets. Besides, your loss is nothing compared to those around the world. We're not gods, Naruto. It's not our call."

"Sasuke, we have to, alright. I mean, what about your family!? This could be chance we need to change their path, we'll just go back before everything and—"

"I have a family."

"Sasuke..."

He looked to the Oracle, something in him radiating with reluctant defiance. "We will not take the offer. We do not need your gift."

Naruto's face shot up as he looked to Sasuke.

"What are you saying Sasuke!? Do you not realize how insane this is? You really gonna just throw this away?!

Sasuke merely stared at him for a moment and Naruto could only wince, looking down despondently. No matter what they chose, Kaguya would still come and even if they intervened then, more of the Ōtsutsuki clan would take her place threatening the world. And it was doubtful that they would have the same advantages they did then without the pain filled path.

Somehow all of this was spoken to Naruto through just Sasuke's expression. Finally, the Uchiha looked the other way, his fist clenched together tightly. "Stand up, Naruto."

And he did, his head still bowed from a great sense of loss.

The being spoke, its voice somehow sounding more monotone than it had before. " _Do you accept this choice? It shan't be given again."_

"I..." Naruto's hands were sweating, his heart racing. But. He closed his eyes. "Wait."

Sasuke stared at him.

Naruto swallowed. "Maybe changing death is too pivotal to the course of history. It's events. But if there's one change of no huge consequence to the world itself, as of now...It is that of a father's time." Naruto's eyes drifted the ground as he avoided Sasuke's. "My biggest regret as Hokage was letting a father walk out on his baby girl for so long."

Sasuke tensed.

"I want to go back to that day to talk to that father. And to myself as well, knowing what I know now. Before it's too late."

Sasuke smiled bitterly. "Idiot."

The figure for the first time gave an expression: a soft smile.

" _May it be."_


End file.
